California Deer Draw Odds
In the 2025 draw California offered 82 deer hunts to residents and nonresidents in one shared draw, drawn partly by preference points and partly at random. At 0 points an applicant had at least an even chance in 12 hunts open to every hunter.
Open Apr 15 – Jun 2, 2027 (expected)
Kept if you miss
2025 draw
2025 draw, first choice
Point only: $377.35 nonresident · on the draw application · apply by Jun 2, 2027 (expected) → Buying Points in California
How the California Draw Works (30-Second Version)
Hybrid: preference + random.
Say a hunt has 100 nonresident tags. 90 go to the applicants with the most preference points; if the last point level that draws has more applicants than tags left, that level is split at random. The other 10 are drawn at random from everyone who missed the points pass, so an applicant with no points still has a chance.
Best Bets at 0 Points
Odds × hunter success × public land, 10 tags or more. Private-land, ranch, landowner and youth hunts left out.
Buck or Either-Sex
A17
Zone X9B · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X9B · Buck
- Success
- 29%
- Public
- 98%
- Season
- Aug 16–Sep 7
A1
Buck archery · Archery Hunt In C Zones · Buck
- Success
- —
- Public
- —
- Season
- Aug 16–Sep 7
G38
Buck late · X · 10 Late Season Buck · General Methods
- Success
- —
- Public
- —
- Season
- Oct 18–Nov 2
MA1
Either-sex muzzleloader · San Luis Obispo Muzzleloading Rifle/Archery Either · Sex
- Success
- —
- Public
- —
- Season
- Nov 29–Dec 14
MA3
Buck muzzleloader · Santa Barbara Muzzleloading Rifle/Archery Buck
- Success
- —
- Public
- —
- Season
- Nov 29–Dec 14
M6
Either-sex muzzleloader · San Diego Muzzleloading Rifle Either · Sex
- Success
- —
- Public
- —
- Season
- Dec 20–31
Every Hunt at 0 Points
82 hunt codes drawn in 2025 · 17 at 50% or better · first choice · all residencies
| Hunt | Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Zone C1 +3 · Buck · Zones General Seasons · Buck | Buck · Zones General Seasons · Buck | C1 +3 | Sep 20–Oct 26 | 100% | — | 8,150 / 5,965 | 30% |
| G1 Zone C4 · Buck late · Late Season Buck Hunt in Zone C4 · General Methods | Buck late · Late Season Buck Hunt in Zone C4 · General Methods | C4 | Oct 25–Nov 2 | 39% | — | 2,710 / 3,857 | 30% |
| D12 Zone D12 · Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | D12 | Nov 1–23 | 86% | — | 950 / 1,078 | 13% |
| D14 Zone D14 · Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | D14 | Oct 11–Nov 9 | 100% | — | 3,000 / 2,139 | 17% |
| D17 Zone D17 · Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | Buck · Zone Archery and General Seasons · Buck | D17 | Oct 11–Nov 2 | 29% | — | 500 / 752 | 12% |
| A3 Zone X1 · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X1 · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X1 · Buck | X1 | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 5% | — | 100 / 289 | 46% |
| X1 Zone X1 · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X1 | Oct 4–19 | 4% | — | 760 / 2,884 | 46% |
| A4 Zone X2 · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X2 · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X2 · Buck | X2 | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 3% | — | 10 / 40 | 47% |
| X2 Zone X2 · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X2 | Oct 4–19 | 2% | — | 189 / 1,310 | 47% |
| A5 Zone X3A · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X3A · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X3A · Buck | X3A | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 5% | — | 40 / 110 | 63% |
| X3A Zone X3A · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X3A | Oct 4–19 | 3% | — | 354 / 1,714 | 63% |
| A6 Zone X3B · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X3B · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X3B · Buck | X3B | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 70% | — | 70 / 82 | 35% |
| X3B Zone X3B · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X3B | Oct 4–19 | 6% | — | 499 / 1,266 | 35% |
| A7 Zone X4 · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X4 · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X4 · Buck | X4 | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 9% | — | 120 / 239 | 37% |
| X4 Zone X4 · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X4 | Oct 4–19 | 5% | — | 479 / 1,319 | 37% |
| A8 Zone X5A · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X5A · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X5A · Buck | X5A | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 4% | — | 10 / 33 | 68% |
| X5A Zone X5A · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X5A | Oct 4–19 | 1% | — | 75 / 552 | 68% |
| A9 Zone X5B · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X5B · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X5B · Buck | X5B | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 1% (small sample) | — | 5 / 74 | 68% |
| X5B Zone X5B · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X5B | Oct 4–19 | <1% | — | 50 / 2,590 | 68% |
| A11 Zone X6A · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X6A · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X6A · Buck | X6A | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 2% | — | 50 / 329 | 77% |
| X6A Zone X6A · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X6A | Oct 4–19 | 1% | — | 329 / 2,601 | 77% |
| A12 Zone X6B · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X6B · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X6B · Buck | X6B | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 7% | — | 90 / 204 | 48% |
| X6B Zone X6B · Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | Buck · Zone General Season · Buck | X6B | Oct 4–19 | 4% | — | 309 / 1,046 | 48% |
| A13 Zone X7A · Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X7A · Buck | Buck archery · Archery Hunt In Zone X7A · Buck | X7A | Aug 16–Sep 7 | 11% | — | 45 / 78 | 23% |
| J19 Youth · Zone X7A · Either-sex · Zone X7A Apprentice Either · Sex · General Methods | Either-sex · Zone X7A Apprentice Either · Sex · General MethodsYouth | X7A | Oct 4–19 | 28% | — | 25 / 56 | 23% |
Showing 1–25 of 82 · sorted by zone · 9 hunts not offered in 2025 hidden — show discontinued hunts
Show all 82 huntsWhat These Columns Mean
- Odds at your points —
- the share of first-choice applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2025 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year. A badge marked * had under five tags, so one applicant either way swings it.
- Pts needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2025 draw; the ▲ or ▼ is how far that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold. A 0 marks a hunt that went Undersubscribed: fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Tags / apps —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them.
- Success —
- the share of hunters in the zone who killed an animal, from the latest harvest report on file. It is the whole zone's figure, not the hunt's.
- Private land, RFW, ranch, youth —
- tags not every hunter can use: private-land-only hunts need landowner access, ranch hunts (Colorado's Ranching for Wildlife, Utah's CWMUs) come with access to one ranch, youth tags have an age limit. They are never best bets and never colour the map.
All 27 Zones
Each zone has its own page: where it is on the map, how much of it is public land, what the hunters who went there killed last season, and every license type you can apply for inside it.
Report an error on this page
About These Numbers
Every percentage here is the chance an applicant with that many points had in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results; quotas, applicant numbers and point levels change every year. A dash means the agency did not publish the number. Under five tags the percentage is flagged: one applicant either way swings it. Check the agency's site and apply there; we don't take applications. How we compute these.